Kombucha, a fermented beverage made from sweetened tea, has been around for over 2,000 years and has tremendous health benefits. It contains a colony of bacteria and yeast that, once combined with sugar, causes a fermentation process to occur. After being fermented, the liquid turns into the drinkable carbonated kombucha beverage and is comprised of b-vitamins, enzymes, organic acids (acetic, gluconic and lactic) and probiotics. This sugar-tea liquid has many beneficial aspects and has been shown to:

Improve digestion

Increase energy

Improve liver function and aid in detoxification

Reduce joint pain

Help prevent cancer

Support the immune system

Lift an individual's mood; helping with anxiety and depression

Help with weight loss

Increase nutrient assimilation

Decrease Candida (yeast)

You can buy kombucha at the store or make kombucha yourself at home for a fraction of the store bought price. Since it’s simple to make yourself, I recommend you give this a shot yourself!

So, how does one make this delicious and health promoting beverage?

There is a two-part process when making kombucha tea from scratch. First, start by creating a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast) since the SCOBY "consumes" the sugars in the sweetened tea leaving you with a fermented yummy beverage. Second, create the kombucha tea form your previously homemade SCOBY, and enjoy! Kombucha is usually made with black tea, though it can also be made with green tea too.

Step 1: How to create a SCOBY from scratch

Ingredients

1 large glass jar or bowl that has a wide opening. Avoid using plastic containers and ceramic pots. The chemicals in the plastic containers can leach into the kombucha during the fermentation process. Ceramic pots on the other hand have a glaze, which once in contact with the acidic environment might cause lead to leach into the kombucha. Ensuring the container you use has a wide opening allows plenty of oxygen to reach the kombucha while fermenting.

8 cups of filtered hot water

½ cup of organic cane sugar. The quality of the sugar is important to ensure the success of your kombucha batch and to avoid contaminants. This is one of the few times you can use real sugar when making food. Though don’t be alarmed, most of the sugar is actually “eaten” by the yeast during the fermentation process leaving very little sugar left when you consume it.

1 cup of pre-made original (non-flavored) kombucha. This can be store bought (as shown in picture above, or from a previously made kombucha batch from a friend). The key is to ensure the batch is original kombucha and not the flavored (ginger, lemon, etc) kombucha. If you do not have pre-made kombucha, you can use distilled white vinegar as a substitute.

1 large piece of cloth, dish towel or old thin cotton t-shirt used to cover the opening of the jar. Be sure not to use a cheese cloth as particles and bugs can pass through.

1 rubber band used to secure the cloth around the glass opening.

Instructions

Begin by preparing the sweet tea. Combine hot water and sugar in a glass jar. Stir until dissolved.

Place the tea bag or metal loose leaf tea ball into the sugary water to steep. Feel free to leave the tea in the liquid as it cools or remove it after the first 10-15 minutes. The longer the tea is left in the liquid, the stronger the tea will be.

Remove the tea bags or tea ball.

Cool the mixture to 68-85*F, which usually takes about 1 hour. Note: To save on time, boil half the amount of water, dissolve the sugar and steep the tea. Then add the remaining water to cool the tea more rapidly.

Once cooled, stir in the original kombucha that’s either store bought or from a friend’s batch. If you see a blobby “baby SCOBY” in the bottom of your store bought jar of kombucha, make sure this goes into your batch (though if you don’t see one, no worries as your SCOBY will still form).

​Cover the jar with a light towel. Secure with a rubber band.

Allow your masterpiece in the making to sit for 7-28 days in a dark place, like in the kitchen cupboard. The fermentation process does not like being jostled or in direct sunlight as this prevents the SCOBY from forming. Feel free to wrap your jar in a cloth to help keep sunlight away. The length of days you ferment your kombucha depends upon the growth of the SCOBY. Within the first few days it will look like nothing is happening. Soon you’ll start to notice groups of tiny bubbles starting to form on the surface. These bubbles will begin to connect causing a film across the top of the tea, which is carbon-dioxide from the fermenting tea. This is a great sign that your on your way to your very own home-made SCOBY! As time goes on the film will thicken into a solid, opaque layer. You’ll know when the SCOBY is ready when it’s about ¼ inch thick. At this point it is ready to be made into kombucha tea.

Utilizing the liquid used to grow the SCOBY. The SCOBY liquid is most likely too strong and vinegary to drink, especially if you are not used to drinking kombucha or vinegary beverages as it can leave you with a stomachache. Instead of throwing it out, this liquid batch can be used to start your first batch of kombucha, or used as a cleaning solution on your counter tops.

Now that you have created a SCOBY, here are directions for making delicious and health promoting kombucha tea.

​Step 2: How to create kombucha tea with your newly homemade SCOBY

These ingredients and instructions are very similar to the “how to create a SCOBY from scratch.” However, there are a few minor adjustments in the ingredients section (as you will be using you very own homemade SCOBY) and in the instructions in #5, #6 and #8.

Ingredients

1 large glass jar or bowl that has a wide opening. Avoid using plastic containers and ceramic pots. The chemicals in the plastic containers can leach into the kombucha during the fermentation process. Ceramic pots on the other hand have a glaze, which once in contact with the acidic environment might cause lead to leach into the kombucha. And ensuring the container you use has a wide opening allows plenty of oxygen to reach the kombucha while fermenting.

8 cups of filtered water

½ cup of organic cane sugar. The quality of the sugar is important to ensure the success of your kombucha batch and to avoid contaminants. This is one of the few times you can use real sugar. Though don’t be alarmed, most of the sugar is actually “eaten” by the yeast during the fermentation process leaving very little sugar left when you consume it.

1 cup of previously made original (non-flavored) kombucha from the batch you just made!

1 SCOBY, also from your freshly made batch.

1 large piece of cloth, dish towel or old thin cotton t-shirt used to cover the opening of the jar. Be sure not to use a cheese cloth as particle and bugs can pass through.

1 rubber band used to secure the cloth around the glass opening.

Instructions

Begin by preparing the sweet tea. Combine hot water and sugar in a glass jar. Stir until dissolved.

Place the tea bag or metal loose leaf tea ball into the sugary water to steep. Feel free to leave the tea in the liquid as it cools or remove it after the first 10-15 minutes. The longer the tea is left in the liquid, the stronger the tea will taste.

Remove the tea bags or tea ball.

Cool the mixture to 68-85*F, which usually takes about 1 hour.

Once cooled, add your previously made original kombucha.

Add your SCOBY. If the SCOBY sinks, that’s ok. It will still make delicious and great kombucha.

Cover the jar with a light towel. Secure with a rubber band.

Allow your soon to be drinkable masterpiece to sit for 7-21 days in a dark place, like in the kitchen cupboard. The length of days depends upon the flavor you enjoy. Give it a taste after the first week to see if it’s at a flavor you like. The more time it sits the stronger the kombucha taste will be – with stronger sour and vinegary flavors. Taste it every couple of days after about the first week to find the right combination for you.

Special notes…

The warmer your home is, the less time the kombucha needs to ferment.

It is important to note that as the fermentation process occurs, you might notice that the SCOBY “grows” a second SCOBY. The original SCOBY is known as the “mother” SCOBY, while the second SCOBY that grows is called the “baby.” Thus, the mother SCOBY is located on top of the baby.

The newly formed baby SCOBY can be used to create a new batch of kombucha, so no need to throw the baby away. If you are not going to use your baby SCOBY right away, store the baby in a bit of already-made non-flavored kombucha in a glass jar, so you have it on hand to start a new batch when ready. The baby will stay “active” for several weeks when stored at room temperature in a small amount of kombucha.

Some people prefer to keep the mother SCOBY attached to the baby, while others prefer to throw away the mother SCOBY once the kombucha is finished fermenting. It has been shown to work both ways. However, please note that the mother SCOBY can only keep fermenting new kombucha batches for about another month after first being used. Since it will become inactive the mother SCOBY should be thrown away.

Flavoring and Bottling KombuchaWhen you find the perfect taste, place the kombucha into smaller airtight glass bottles and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to allow it to cool and finish carbonating. After it has cooled, your homemade kombucha is ready to drink.Since the above recipe is for unflavored (original) kombucha, you can try adding your very own flavors to enhance the fermented tea, such as:

Ginger root juice – by blending ginger and water in a mixer

Freshly-squeezed lemon or lime juice

Blended berries

Pour and gently tumble the freshly made juices and allow the flavor to mix for a day or two. Do keep in mind that fruit and other perishable foods will not last as long as the kombucha by itself, so your time to consume these freshly flavored beverages are shortened to about 4-5 days. Unflavored kombucha can last in the refrigerator for months since the colder temperatures slows the fermentation process.Kombucha, containing so many health benefits, can be made at home for a very low cost and without much effort. It's a fun process that the whole family can be enjoy. What homemade flavor(s) do you and your loved ones like the most?Warmly,Stacy

PS - Wanting new recipe ideas? Follow me on Pinterest for some yummy and creative ideas.